Retrospective analysis of Ki-67 antigen expression in paraffin tissue blocks of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

The level of Ki-67 antigen expression has been proven to correlate with cellular proliferation. The aim of the study was to show correlation of Ki-67 expression with the clinical stage and its predictive value for the prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma. The study included 48 patients with surgically removed carcinoma of the larynx. Study results pointed to a significant difference in the mean value of Ki-67 reactivity between the study and control group consisting of cadaveric laryngeal tissue free from the disease. Correlation was found between the TNM stage of carcinoma and percentage of Ki-67-labeled cells. A significant correlation was also observed between Ki-67 reactivity at the time of laryngeal surgery and 2-year clinical outcome of the disease. Ki-67 reactivity was significantly higher in the group of patients with disease remission compared with the control group but was significantly lower as compared with the group of patients with poor outcome.     

Early cytoarchitectonic development of the anlage of the basal nucleus of meynert in the human fetus

The present study describes a short period of cytoarchitectonic development of the anlage of the basal nucleus of Meynert between 9 and 15 weeks of gestation (crown-rump length 42-120 mm). On the basis of temporo-spatial reconstruction of the cytoarchitectonic pattern within the basal telencephalon it was evident that magnocellular aggregations of the basal telencephalon contain the most differentiated cells in the whole prosencephalon of the 15-week-old human fetus. At this stage development many magnocellular islands can be observed in the sublenticular region. However, it seems that they are in antero-posterioral continuation and the real number of magnocellular islands is much smaller than observed in a single section. The most voluminous magnocellular aggregations are situated around the temporal limb of the anterior commissure and below the ventral pallidal surface in the 15th week of gestation. Between 12 and 15 weeks of gestation, at the most rostral levels, the distinct cell group appeared with unique cytoarchitectonic properties ('albino cell group'). This cell group is situated close to the ventral putaminal surface within the capsula externa fibres and it corresponds to the subputaminal nucleus of Ayala.     

Incidence of chronic renal failure during 35 years at the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Center

Chronic hemodialysis treatment in the world started in 1960. At that time, due to technical development and construction of arteriovenous shunt for repeated blood access for dialysis, it was possible to treat uremia. At the Department of Surgery, Rijeka Clinical Hospital, former Dr. Zdravko Kuci? Hospital, first hemodialysis was performed in 1962, whereas regular chronic dialysis treatment started in 1966. On September 20, 1966, the first hemodialysis was done in a patient with chronic uremia. A week later, the next patient was admitted for therapy. The aim of the study was to analyze demographic and other data of all patients who started dialysis in the period between 1966 and 2001. There were 910 patients, 555 (60.9%) male and 355 (39.1%) female. In the first year, only two patients were treated with hemodialysis. Until 1970, the number of new patients was 4 or 5. From 1971 till 1984 between 10 and 19 new patients started dialysis every year, and from 1985 till 1990 their number ranged from 23 to 34 per year. Further increase in the number of treated patients was recorded in 1990 when 42 patients were dialyzed. In the following years until 2001 the figures were between 40 and 58, and in 2001 55 new patients were treated. In 1966, the mean age of patients undergoing this therapy was 29.5 years, and with time it increased to 40 in 1978. From 1989 on, the mean age rose to 50, and from 1998 to 60. In 2001, the mean patient age was 63.2 years. The primary renal diseases that led to uremia in the study population were glomerulonephritis (GN) in 256 (28.1%), pyelonephritis (PN) in 165 (18.1%), diabetes mellitus (DM) in 161 (17.7%), nephrosclerosis in 111 (12.2%), uremia after transplanted kidney rejection in 47 (5.2%), polycystosis in 40 (4.4%), lupus nephritis in 12 (1.3%), other causes in 89 (9.7%), and unknown cause in 24 (2.6%) patients. The distribution of primary renal disease during the observed period was as follows: from 1966 till 1979 the cause of uremia was GN in 88 (62%), PN in 30 (21.1%), DM in only 1, polycystosis in 3, post-transplant uremia in 7, lupus in 3, and other causes in 7 patients. From 1980 to 1989, GN was the cause of uremia in 67 (31.6%), PN in 45 (21.2%), DM in 22 (10.4%), nephrosclerosis in 26 (12.3%), polycystosis in 11 (5.2%), post-transplantation uremia in 12 (5.7%), lupus nephritis in 8 (3.8%), other causes in 17 (7.9%) and unknown cause in 3 (1.9%) patients. During the 1990-2001 period, GN was recorded in only 101 (18%), PN in 90 (16.2%), DM in 138 (24.9%), nephrosclerosis in 82 (14.7%), polycystosis in 26 (4.7%), post-transplantation uremia in 28 (5.0%), lupus nephritis in 6 (1.1%), other causes in 65 (11.7%) and unknown cause in 20 (3.6%) patients. The mortality was caused by cardiac disease in 50.4%, cerebrovascular disease in 14.8%, infectious disease in 13.2%, malignancy in 7.5%, high potassium in 5.1%, gastrointestinal disease in 3.5%, other vascular diseases in 1.6%, cachexia in 1.3%, loss of blood access in 0.8%, other reasons in 1.1% and unknown reasons in 0.5% of patients. The results clearly indicate that the number of new patients grew and the mean patient age increased every year. Diabetes mellitus was the leading cause of uremia while GN and PN were less common. The main causes of death were cardiovascular diseases.     

The cytotoxicity of RoekoSeal and AH plus compared during different setting periods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the root canal sealers RoekoSeal Automix (RSA) and AH Plus in vitro on human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells and mouse skin fibroblasts (L929). The sealers were covered with a 3 x 10(4) cell suspension 1 h, 24 h, 48 h, 7 days and 1 month after mixing. Four samples and respective controls without sealer were prepared. After 5 days of incubation, the number of cells was determined using an electronic counter; the number of viable cells was determined under light microscopy following the addition of nigrosin dye. The experiment was repeated twice for each sealer and each period. AH Plus was significantly more cytotoxic after 1 h, 24 h, and 48 h, compared to the 7 day and 1 month setting period on both cell lines. RoekoSeal had no cytotoxic effect on either cell line at any setting time.     

Social Participation and Health Related Quality of Life in Early and Established Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Social participation has been recognized as one of the key variables to be addressed in disability research yet few studies addressed the association between restriction in participation and quality of life in the context of rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between restrictions in social participation and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in early and established group of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Two samples with early (n?=?97; age?=?53?±?12.3 years; disease duration?=?2.8?±?1.2 years; 76 % women) and established (n?=?143; age?=?58?±?10.3 years; disease duration?=?16.1?±?3.6 years; 86 % women) RA patients were collected. Respondents completed questionnaires on pain (NHP), fatigue (VAS), functional disability (HAQ), depression (HADS), social participation restrictions (Participation scale) and health related quality of life (SF-36). Data were analyzed using stepwise regression models controlling for the relevant variables. Perceived social participation restrictions in the group of early patients were found to be negatively associated with the mental health component of the HRQoL (β?=??0.192; p?≤?0.05) and in the established RA group with the physical health component of the HRQoL (β?=??0.271; p?≤?0.001). These results generally suggest the importance of social participation with regard to HRQoL in RA.     

2D speckle tracking echocardiography of the right ventricle free wall in SCUBA divers after single open sea dive

The presence of circulating gas bubbles and their influence on pulmonary and right heart hemodynamics was reported after uncomplicated self‐contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) dive(s). Improvements in cardiac imaging have recently focused great attention on the right ventricle (RV). The aim of our study was to evaluate possible effects of a single air SCUBA dive on RV function using 2D speckle tracking echocardiography in healthy divers after single open sea dive to 18 meters of seawater, followed by bottom stay of 47 minutes with a direct ascent to the surface. Twelve experienced male divers (age 39.5 ± 10.5 years) participated in the study. Echocardiographic assessment of the right ventricular function (free wall 2 D strain, tricuspid annular planes systolic excursion [TAPSE], lateral tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity [RV s`] and fractional area change [FAC]) was performed directly prior to and 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after surfacing. Two‐dimensional strain of all three segments of free right ventricular wall showed a significant increase in longitudinal shortening in post‐dive period for maximally 26% (basal), 15.4% (mid) and 16.3% (apical) as well as TAPSE (11.6%), RV FAC (19.2%), RV S` (12.7%) suggesting a rise in systolic function of right heart. Mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mean PAP) increased post‐dive from 13.3 mmHg to maximally 23.5 mmHg (P = .002), indicating increased RV afterload. Our results demonstrated that single dive with significant bubble load lead to increase in systolic function and longitudinal strain of the right heart in parallel with increase in mean PAP.     

Work from Home and Musculoskeletal Pain in Telecommunications Workers During COVID-19 Pandemic: a Pilot Study

One of the side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is a global change in work ergonomic patterns as millions of people replaced their usual work environment with home to limit the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection. The aim of our cross-sectional pilot study was to identify musculoskeletal pain that may have resulted from this change and included 232 telecommunications company workers of both genders [121 (52.2 %) men aged 23–62 (median 41; interquartile range 33–46 yrs.) and 111 (47.8 %) women aged 23–53 (median 40; interquartile range 33–44)] who had been working from home for eight months (from 16 March to 4 December 2020) before they joined the study. The participants were asked to fill in our web-based questionnaire by self-assessing their experience of hand, lower back, and upper back/neck pain while working at home and by describing their work setting and physical activity. Compared to previous work at the office, 90 (39.1 %) participants reported stronger pain in the lower back, 105 (45.7 %) in the upper back/neck, and 63 (27.2 %) in their hands. Only one third did not report any musculoskeletal problems related to work from home. Significantly fewer men than women reported hand, lower back, and upper back/ neck pain (p=0.033, p=0.001 and p=0.013, respectively). Sixty-nine workers (29.9 %) reported to work in a separate room, 75 (32.4 %) worked in a separate section of a room with other household members, whereas 87 (37.7 %) had no separate work space, 30 of whom most often worked in the dining room. Ninety-five participants (40.9 %) had no office desk to work at, and only 75 (32.3 %) used an ergonomic chair. Of those who shared their household with others (N=164), 116 (70.7 %) complained about constant or occasional disturbances. Over a half of all participants (52 %) said that they worked longer hours from home than at work, predominantly women (p=0.05). Only 69 participants (29.9 %) were taking frequent breaks, predominantly older ones (p=0.006). Our findings clearly point to a need to inform home workers how to make more ergonomic use of non-ergonomic equipment, use breaks, and exercise and to inform employers how to better organise working hours to meet the needs of work from home.Key words: back pain, ergonomics, gender, hand pain, neck pain, physical activity, work space, work with computers     

Oral Health Status and Nutritional Habits as Predictors for Developing Alzheimer's Disease

ObjectivePoor oral health, mainly tooth loss, has been suggested to pose a risk factor for Alzheimer''s disease (AD). The nature of this relationship can be explained by mastication deficit and nutritional status. Also, the influence of nutritional parameters on cognitive impairment has been documented. The aim of this study was to investigate whether poor dental status and nutrition habits can be potential separate or associated risk factors for development of the AD.MethodsThe study sample included 116 patients with AD and 63 controls. Sociodemographic variables were investigated as factors potentially associated with AD. Dental examination included recording the number of natural teeth, presence of fixed or removable dentures, and the number of functional tooth units (FTUs). Nutritional status analysis included qualitative nutrition information, body mass index, serum albumin level, food consistency, and need for assistance in feeding. Regression analysis was used to investigate the predictors for development of AD.ResultsVariables with significant differences between groups, which were analyzed by using the binary regression analysis, were marital status, residence, number of total FTUs (no matter whether the contacts were between natural teeth or dentures), eating meat/fish and fruits/vegetables, food consistency, and serum albumin level. Logistic regression analysis showed that being single/widowed/divorced, eating more meat/fish or fruit/vegetable, eating blended/mashed/liquid food, having low levels of serum albumin, and having less FTUs were significant predictors for developing dementia.ConclusionHaving fewer occlusal contacts, consumption of soft food, and lower serum albumin levels can be considered as associated risk factors for AD.